Good old Thomas Jefferson had it pegged when he declared coffee to be “the favorite drink of the civilized world.” Whether your drink of choice is a half-caf low-fat two-shot no-whip caramel macchiato, a single origin pour-over or just a plain old cup of joe, many of us depend on coffee to start our day. Since today is National Coffee Day, we here at AnnArbor.com have spent a little bit more time than usual thinking about java.

In the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti area, we've got an embarrassing number of high-quality coffee destinations where well-trained baristas will whip up a dreamy coffee confection for you. My regular stops include Lab Cafe, Comet, Mighty Good Coffee, Roos Roast, Babo, Morgan & York, Zingerman's Coffee and The Ugly Mug.